RIVERSIDE: 9/11 remembrance ceremony draws crowd

Twelve years after the largest terrorist attack on American soil, the Riverside community honored and remembered the fallen and first responders of 9/11.

The event was one of many across the Inland Empire on Wednesday, Sept. 11.

The crowd gathered at 7:30 a.m. in the crisp morning around a red-and-white floral wreath, a podium and three flagpoles in front of the Riverside County Administrative Center in downtown Riverside. Those in military uniforms were scattered among the audience during the somber remembrance titled Lest We Forget.

Civilians, police officers, firefighters and county and city officials, including Riverside Mayor William “Rusty” Bailey, also attended.

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Riverside County Sheriff chaplain Jim Clizbe gave an invocation, the Cal Fire color guard presented the colors and the flag was raised by the California National Guard. The ceremony also featured a memorial wreath presentation and the firing of rifles by the California National Guard.

Riverside County Board of Supervisors Chairman John Benoit said such ceremonies “show the importance of the event to the younger generations who may not have a memory of it.”

He spoke of his granddaughter, who attends a public elementary school, and how she might not know of the nation’s experiences on that day unless they are shared with her.

Benoit also said the ceremony “speaks to the need all of us have to be together” on 9/11.

“Even though life in America continues, it does not remain the same.” he said. “And we will never forget.”

Riverside County Assistant Fire Chief Bart Chambers agreed.

“The turnout shows, above all else, resolve as a nation and as a community to ensure we never forget what happened on our soil,” Chambers said.

He said that as a veteran who served in Iraq, it was meaningful to see the community come together.